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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · hide · clip · kid · land · leaves · lie · wake

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — shares
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — goods
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — ground
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — to cut
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com